FAQS

Every project is unique, so time required is dependent upon the proposals size, complexity, detail and the end product required. However, our typical turnaround time is 1-3 weeks from time of commission.

We require the most current drawings, sketches and design information. This can be either sketch, planning or working drawings, but should ideally include floorplans, elevations, site plan, landscaping plan and material specifications.

Yes, of course! The client is at the heart of any visualisation process. As part of our internal QA processes you will receive regular previews by email and we welcome feedback to complete the final image.

You will either receive an email/link containing the completed images/animation or we will upload them to our/your website for immediate download. We supply all our images at 300dpi in high quality jpeg format. All of our short videos/animations are supplied in Mpeg4 format.

We can arrange for professional hard copies or USB drives to be supplied as an additional service.

Popular standardised 3d format used to import/export 3D model, with animation data and materials, between software.

.OBJ

Popular 3D file format, used to import/export between software

A

After Effects

Post-production software developed by Adobe used to composite video and or rendered frames into a final sequence.

Animation

Combining of many still images, either rendered or filmed, displayed quickly in sequence to create an illusion of motion.

AR

Augmented Reality, the superimposing of real-time video with digital models.

ARKit

Apple’s next generation Augmented Reality development framework.

AUTOCAD

Popular 2D/3D drafting software developed by Autodesk.

AVR

Accurate Visual Representation, term used to describe a photomontage with a verifiable visual accuracy, making use of survey data, such images are used in many planning applications. Sometimes knows as VVI or Verified Views

B

Backburner

Software to manage the distribution of the rendering process over many CPU’s on a local networked render farm.

Biased Render

Render engine that calculates transmission of light using techniques to optimise the ray tracing process to speed up the rendering process. See also Unbiased Render.

BIM

Building Information Model, database that stores all details of a buildings design to allow quick and efficient updating and sharing of information.

Bokeh

Blooming effect, commonly seen in photography, when a bright highlight goes out of focus.

Bump Mapping

Texture map used to create an illusion of surface roughness to a 3D model. See also Normal Mapping.

C

CAD

Computer Aided Design, any form of design through use of a computer.

Camera

Virtual viewpoints that mimic their real-world counterpart.

Cartesian Coordinates

3D coordinate system based on X,Y,Z planes to define points in space.

CGI

Computer Generated Image.

Chromatic Abberration

Dispersion of light, commonly seen in photography, due to physical properties of the lens refracting light at different wave lengths creating colour fringing artefacts towards the edge of the image.

Codec

Algorithm used for compressing file size of audio and video data.

Compositing

Positioning of camera and objects to produce aesthetically pleasing images and manipulation of the viewer’s attention.

Composition

Positioning of camera and objects to produce aesthetically pleasing images and manipulation of the viewer’s attention.

Corona Render

Photorealistic, CPU, unbiased rendering engine.

CPU

Core-Processing-Unit, the main processor of the computer.

Cube Mapping

A method of environment mapping that uses 6 faces of a cube as the map shape. The environment is projected onto the sides of a cube and stored as 6 square textures, or unfolded into 6 regions of a single texture. Used in 360 panorama’s.

D

Depth of Field

Used to describe how much of the image is in focus, shallow depths of field will have only small areas of the image in focus.

DirectX

Microsoft’s real-time 3D rendering engine, used mostly in computer game to produce 3D graphics in real-time.

Distributed Rendering (DR)

Means of speeding up the rendering process by harnessing the CPU’s of other computers on a local network.

Term used to describe the resolution of a 3D objects mesh, high resolution objects have more detail but impact rendering performance.

HMD

Head Mounted Display.

Hololens

Microsofts Augmented Reality Headset.

HTC Vive

Virtual Reality headset that is capable of room space VR.

I

Iray

Photorealistic, unbiased, CPU and GPU rendering engine.

J

K

Keyframe

Property used to animate a 3D object, defines key properties or positions of objects at specific points in time, set by the user. The frames “in-between” key frames are calculated by the computer.

L

LiDAR

Light Detection and Ranging, device that uses lasers to scan and measure it surroundings to create a point cloud used for surveying or creating a 3D model.

Lights

Objects used to emit light into the scene.

M

Material

General term to describe a texture applied to an object to give it a realistic look when rendered. See also Shader.

Maxwell

Photorealistic, unbiased CPU rendering engine.

Maya

Professional 3D software, developed by Autodesk, popularly used in film and animation industry.

Mental Ray

Photorealistic, biased CPU rendering engine.

Mesh

General term to describe the geometry of a 3D object.

Model

General term to describe the geometry of a 3D object.

Monoscopic

A single viewpoint as opposed to stereoscopic.

Moiré Pattern

Large scale interference patterns that happen when objects interfere with the shape of light sensors in a TV or monitor to generate unwanted artifacts.

Motion Blur

When a subject moves faster than the shutter speed of a camera, the subject can appear at multiple points across the frame which blend together to create a motion blur. This is an effect that is often applied to 3D imagery to create a more photographic look.

n

Normal Mapping

More advanced form of bump mapping, used to fake high levels of detail onto a lower detail 3D model.

Nuke

Post-production software used to composite video and or rendered frames into a final sequence.

O

Oculus Rift

Desktop computer based VR Headset.

Omni Rig

Device that allows multiple cameras to be connected together, usually in a cube formation, to photograph and record 360 footage.

Open G

Open source real-time 3D engine, used mostly in CAD software, computer games and Virtual Reality. See also DirectX.

P

Particle System

Animated points in 3D space used to create special effects such as smoke, sparks, fire etc..

PfCO

Permission for Commercial Operations, accreditation required to fly any UAV in a public space.

Photogrammetry

Technique of generating 3D models from multiple photographs taken at varying angles of an object or location.

Photomontage

Technique of generating 3D models from multiple photographs taken at varying angles of an object or location.

PhotoShop

Industry standard photo-manipulation software developed by Adobe.

Pix4D

Photogrammetry survey software used to create 3D site data from drone photography.

Playstation VR

Playstation’s first Virtual Reality solution aimed at the home gaming market.

Point Cloud

Large collection of points in 3D space, often generated from a LiDAR scan or photogrammetry software. Often used in surveying to measure relative distances, generate accurate plans/sections or 3D models.

Polygon

Basic 3D surface that forms the surface of a 3D model.

Post-Production

Any manipulation of images, after they have been rendered or photographed, such as colour correction or compositing.

Procedural Map

Texture map that is generated by mathematical algorithm, generally uses less memory.

Q

R

Render Farm

Network of CPU/GPU’s used to speed up and ease the workload of the 3D rendering process.

Rendering

Process of calculating the transmission of light around a virtual model to create a photorealistic or stylised image or animation of a 3D model.

Resolution

General term used to describe level of detail and information in a model or image, higher the resolution the more faces or pixels.

Revit

CAD Software combining both 2D and 3D drafting based on parametric BIM workflow.

Rigging

Technical term used to describe the setting up of a model to allow easy manipulation for animation e.g internal skeletons used to animate characters.

Rule of Thirds

Simplification of golden section, image is divided into a 3x3 grid, points of interest are placed at one or more intersection points on grid.

S

Scene

Collection of 3D objects in one file that form the elements of a rendered image or animation.

Sequence

Group of frames from an animation that define a section of a larger animation.

Shader

Surface property of a 3D object that describes how it reacts to light and shade.

A 2D image has 2 axis, “X” (Width) and “Y”(Height), this can be taken further to include “Z” which is the distance a pixel was from the camera during the rendering process. This extra information is generally used in the post-production process to add a layer of depth to images.